Circular knitting machine



June 1931. F. ATTENBOROUGH ,2

' CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE s Sheets-Skeet 1 Filed April- 10. 1928 June 23, 1931. F. ATTENBOROUGH 1,811,289

' CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE Filed,April 10. 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 June' 23, 1931.

F. ATTENBOROUGH OIRCULKR KNITTING mm Filed April 10. 192s 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 1 flak-Ma Patented June 23, 1931 U D TA ES PATENT OFFICE i FRED ATirENBoRouGn, or HARRINGTON PARK, LONG EATON, ENGLAND CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE" Application filed April 10, 1928, Serial No. 268,980, and in Great Britain October 3, 1927.

This invention comprises improvements in or relating to circular knitting machines and has for its principal object to provide means whereby a practically unlimited range or variation of patterns can be produced in fabrics and articles knitted on such machines.

The type of machin'e to which this invention refers is that embodying a series of displaceable thread guides,a rotary cam device W operating to displace the guides to lay threads on the machine needles, and jacquard'mechanism for efi'ectingfa variable selectionof the guides to be operated by said cam, and it'is a further object ofthis invention to provide means in'connection with such a machine for producing anall -round pattern, i. e. a pattern extending around the whole circumference or at any position inthe circumference of the fabric. 1

29 With the above objects in view, a feature of the present invention consists in the provision in a machine of the type referred toof means whereby" avariabl'e selection of the thread guides to beoperatedby a rotary cam v device is efiected bythe' displacementbyjacquard mechanism of separate elements which functionintermediate of'the cam and guides.

By effecting the selection of guidesby-the operation of the separate intermediate ele- 39 mentsas above the guides can be mounted to operate in the customary manner without the necessity. of transmitting to said guides any movement other than the usuallateral movement across the needles.

Another feature of the invention consists in the'provision of means for positively operating the members disposed intermediate of the cam and guides so as to permit the return to theneutral or inoperative position of displaced thread guidesprior to each selection thereof. p

' More particularly the invention consists in the provision of a circular knitting machine comprising in combination, a circular row of radially displace'able depending thread guides, a rotary cam operating to displace said guides froma-non-fe'eding to a feeding position or vice versa through the medium of a series of separate vertically displaceable jacks-5 3' acquardmechanism. operating to: move selected jacks from an inoperative to an operative position between the guides and cam so as to determine the selection of guides, and means for returning the displaced jacks to a neutral or inoperative position prior to each operation thereon by said' jacquard mechanism.

For the purpose of more fully describing the nature of this invention reference will now be made to the accompanying'drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a vertical section through a part of a circular knitting machine in accordance with this invention.

Figure 2 is a part-sectional" elevational view of part of the machine shown in Figure 1 looking in the direction of arrow X.

Figure 3' is an enlarged elevational view of the jacquard mechanism.

Figure 4 illustrates the jacquard mechanism and a methodof operating the same.

. Figure 5 is a detail view showing the cam from which the jacquard mechanism is controlled.

Figure 6 is a detail plan view illustrative of the jacks 38 and the manner in which they operate to move the thread guides laterally so as to cause the guides to wrap the threads about the needles.

In the method of carrying out the inventionillustratedin the drawings, to an outstanding ring or flange 1 suit-ably secured to a stationary sleeve member 2 are mounted depending thread guides'3 arranged in a circular row, the lower or feeding ends of the guides being disposed approximately level with the hooks of needles 4 when the vlatter are raised to take thread. The guides 3 are suspended in the known manner by their hooked ends 3a so as to be capable of a radial oscillatory movement, for moving, the lower ends from an inoperative position inside the needles to a feeding position exterior to said needles, the springy nature of the guides effecting the opposite movement thereof and normally maintaining same within the needle row.

On a rotatable tubular spindle 5 which turns within the sleeve 2 about a central fixed spindle a is secured a cam 6 preferably c0mi prising a flanged collar with circumferential projection or cam bit, andlocated between said cam'and'the guides is aseries of vertically movable jacks"? formeclwith enlargements or butts 7a which, when. the jacks are 'moved to bring. same in horizontal alignment with the cam 6, function to effect outward radial movementof the guides each time the pr'ojection on said cam comes into engagement therewith.

A depending guide may be provided. for

each needle, or one guide may serve two or I more needles, and thenumber of jacks incides with that of the guides. The guides are formed with outwardly bent portions 3?) or otherwise suit-ably shaped so that when the jacks 7 are moved down, thebutts 7a coincide with. said bent parts 36 and the rotation of .the cam 6 hasno effect .onthe guides.

i The jacks 7 are guided in their vertical movement by causing upwardly extending parts 75 thereof to pass through perforations 'inthe fixed flange 1, .and to effect the lifting I trucks or rollers 17 engage, on'eappertaining to theoperative position of. selected jacks at predetermined intervals, jacquard mechanism is provided located above the machine. Preferably two jacquard devices are provided, one appertaining to the jacks around one half of the machine and the second appertaining to the jacks in the other half.

Each jacquard-device comprises one or more series or rows of closely disposed pins 9 slidable'within'perforated guide bars lO extending between side [plates 11, one pin being 35 I e thereto by :cords or wires 12 attached to the provided for each jack 7- and being connected upper ends of the jack extensions 7?) and to The sliding pins 9 coaot at one end with an intermittently'rotatable member 13 of hexagonalor other polygonal shape over which passes anendless chain of jacquard cards 14 which are retained upon the rotatingmember 13 by any desired means, the several cards being perforated in the well knewn manner. Each'jacquard device is-conveniently op.- erated froma cam 15 on any suitable drive shaft 16, of the imachine; With this cam, which is advantageously a groove, two cam to each jacquard, and disposed atdiametrically opposite positions in said groove. Each camtr'uckl? 15 1 1; 1 i I I 1s ro a a y earned between he overljlhev Cam use 15a .apndfhe lacquardlcap ends of a lever'18 which is pivoted at itsone end to the machine frame at 19 and jointed atits other end to the lower extremity of a vertically extending rod 20, whichrodat its upper end is adjustably connected toia centrally pivoted lever 21. V

I 'E'achlever 21 is connected preferably by fork and pin connection, to a longitudinally slidable rod 22 guided'in sleeves'23 on one ofthe side plates 110f the jacquard mechan sjm, and each of saidslidablerods :22

assembled between a fixed disc 28 and a slid able disc 29 serves to press thelatter'on to the wheel 26 so as to retain the carrier 13 y from rotation beyond the requiredextent at each motion. The operationis such that at each revolution of the cam 15 the-two cam trucks I17 ride successively; over the'cam rise l 5aso as to lift first one lever 18 and then the other. The upward movement of a lever- 18 transmits through rod a. pivotal movement of lever '21 and inso doing displaces the sliding rod 22 to move the carrier13- with the cards out of engagement withthe pins;9 and through the clawlrer 2a partially rotate the carrier to bringa new card nto 13081131011 for engage ngj y id pi Immediately the cam truck 17--has passed the rise 15a the operation is reversed and the fresh card moved up to the pins 9, andin so, doing certain of said pins registering with. the perforations in the card will pass throughsame and-remain stationaryfwhilje' the remaining pins will'coact withjthe 'un'perforated partof the card and be slidably displaced. v V t This movement of selected pins 9 efiects through the aforesaid cords 12 an upward movement of the j acks'? connected thereto to bring the butts 7 a'thereon level with the rotary cam 6, the[remaining jacksconnected with theunmovedpins 9 being retained down in the inoperative; position, and in this way only those guides 3 which are opposite to the raised j acks'aremoved out for laying thread upon the needles. .f

As beforestated, each jacquard governs the selective operation of jacks and; conse quently also the guides ofone half of the circumference: of, the machine, and as the jacquards operate alternately, the jacks are" selectively displaced in onechalf while the cam projection on the rotary cam- 6 is traversing the opposite half. r During the timeacam truck 171s, riding rier 13 ofone jacquard device is moved away from the pins 9 appertaining thereto,that is to say, immediately prior to each motion of the jacquard-for effecting selection of the jacks, it is necessary'that said-pins and the series of jacks 7 governed 'therebyare returned to the neutral or-ino-perative"position. In the present invention this is positively accomplishedby providing a flanged ring formed in two independently movable halves and assembled in a vertically slidable manner loo around the sleeve part 2 or member encircling same at a position above inwardly projecting butts Toon the jacks 71 Each half ring section 30*is carried by a-pair of bolts or pins 31 extending up through and slidable within holes inthe guide carrier ring 1 and an outstanding flange or portion ofthe stationary sleeve 2, the upper ends'of said bolts 31 hav- 1 ing: secured thereto a fiat plate 32 having on its upper face a" suitably shaped and positioned cam rise 33. 7

Normally each ring sectlon 1s held up immediatelybeneath the guide carrier ring 1 a further selection on' the next motion of the jacquard, Fig. 2 and the; right side of Fig. 1.

, At the time the earn 6 operates on the selected guides to move same radially outwards, a further cam installed Within a rotatable part '37 fixed to the lower end of the rotary tubular spindle 5 coacts with radially displaceable acks 38 accommodated within tricks in tion within the carrier 39 and allowst a relatively fixed carrier 89 to push same out wards and press the operative guides laterally so as to traverse the needles, itbeing understood that the guides 3 return to the non-feeding position by their own springaction when .the cam 6 has travelled past same and the radial jacks 381l1ave been withdrawn.

, As will be noted in Fig. 1. the jacks 38 are positioned well above the needles l. These jacks are cranked as shown and are sequentially moved outwardly as the thread guides 3 have been moved to'the front of the needles, as represented in Figure 6. The bent or crankedportion of each jack by reason ofits engagement with the needle guide with which it cooperates, moves the guide laterallyacross and in front of the needle as the guide is proj ected, as indicatedby dotted lines in Figure 6. The guide so moved, upon being released from the action of the cam 6 returns to the rear of the needle under its own spring actlon, and the jack 38 is then drawn to normal posihe guide to moveback tonormal position across the back of the needle. Thus the thread is completely wrapped around the needle; I

The requisite rotation is transmitted to the tubular spindle 5 from a "drive shaft 40 through bevel gears 41 within a gear case 42 fixed to the machine frame 1 v I "By employing a'machine as above described forknitting stockings and socks, a pattern of a continually varyingnature can be pro duced along the entire length and/or circumference of the article, and it will be appreciated that the changing from one pattern or range of patterns to another is readily effectedby the simple operation of changing the jacquard cards.

I claim 1- 1. In a circular knitting machine, a series of radially displaceable depending thread guides arrangedin a circular series, a rotary cam device operating within the circle of thread guides to displace said guides to lay threads on the machine needles, separate vertically displaceable jacks located between the cam and guides, jacquard mechanism functioning selectively to raise said jacks from an inoperative position to a position wherein same act upon and select the guidesto be radially displaced by the cam and positive means for lowering the jacks to the inoperative position after having been raised by said jacquard.

2. In a circular knitting machine, a series of radially displaceable depending thread guides, a rotary cam device, a series of separate vertically displaceable jacks functioning intermediate of the guides and cam to of feet displacement of the guides for feeding thread to the machine needles, a plurality of jacquard mechanisms, means for successively operating said jacquard mechanisms, each jacquard mechanism being connected to and functioning selectively to displace aseparate series or group of jacks appertaining to a separate series or group of guides so as to enable selected guides to be radially displaced by the rotary cam, and means whereby the displaced jacks are returned to their normal position after displacement.

3. In a circular knitting machine, a'circu lar row of radially displaceable depending thread guides, a rotary cam operating within said circle of guides, a circular row of vertically displaceable jacks located between said cam andguides', a plurality of jacquard mechanisms operating to raise selected jacks from an inoperative position to a position wherein same vfunction to transmit outward V radial movement from the rotary cam to guides selected by said jacks, each jacquard mechanism operating upon a group of jacks forming a section only of the complete circularrow of jacks, a cam device, functioning to operate the jacquards in succession, and means for lowering the raised jacks to a neutral position prior to each operation thereon by its associated jacquard mechanism and during the time the jacks of the other group are being selected.

4. In a circular knitting machine, a circular row of radially displaceable depending thread guides, a rotary cam operating within said row of guides, a circular row of vertically displaceable jacks located between said cam and guides, a plurality of jacquard mechanisms operating to raise selected'jacks from an inoperative position to aposition wherein the same function to transmit outward-radial -movement fromthe rotary cam toiguides selectedby said jacks, each j acquard mechanism operating upon a group of jacks forming asection only of the complete circular row of jacks, means functioning to operate thejacquards in succession, butts on said jacks,a vertically slidable ring formed ina plurality of part-circular sections, each ring section being associated with an independent group of'ja-cks and coact-ingwithvthe butts.

' ofsaid jacks, upstanding vertically movable and spring means operating to'lift the ring I guides which 1 members connected to said ring sections, cam

pieces carried by said upstanding members, a rotary member functioning during rotation to coact with said cam pieces in succession andsuccessively depress each ring sec,- tion so asto lower to an inoperative position jacks previously raised by the j acquards,

sections aftereach depression thereof, and means for movingacross theneedles those are radially displaced by Y the rotary cam. 1 f I Y V 5. Ina circular knitting machine, the combination of a circular row of radially displaceable thread guides, a rotary cam for successively operating said guides, acircular row of displaceable' jacks arrangedbetween the said cam and the thread guides, a plurality' of operating jacquard mechanisms respectivelyconnected with and operating segmental groups of the jacks to move selected jacks from inoperative to operative position *where they function'to transfer motion to the needle guides from therotary cam and means to restore the jacks to normal inoperative position prior to each'operation thereon by jacquard mechanism.

6. In a circular knitting machine, a series of radially displaceable dependingthread guides, a rotary cam device-movable within the'circle of the thread guides, a series of separate vertically 'displaceable jacks functioning between the threadguides and the rotary cam device'to eflect radial displacement of the guides for feeding threads to the machine needles, a plurality of jacquard mechanisms each operating in connection With a group of displaceable j acks,means for successively operating the jacquard mecha nisms for selectively displacing the jacks. of the group with which it is associated to bring the selected jacks into positionto beacted vupon by the cam device, to cau'se the radial displacement of the selected thread guides, and means for positively moving'all' the displaced jacks of aseries into neutral or inoperative' position during thetimethe jacks of quard mechanism for thatgroup.

7; In a circular knitting machine, a series of'displaceable thread guides, arotary cam another group are being selected by the jac-v threads on the .said needles, separate dislplaceable elements interposed between said cam and guides and arranged to befmoved radially by the said cam. and to impartthe said radial movements to the thread guides, and jacquard mechanism operating selectively to displace said intermediate elements vertically and by so doing variably select the thread guides to be operated by the Camdevice.

8. In a circularknitting machine, a series of depending thread guides, a rotary cam device operating to displace said thread guides radially of the needle circle to laythreads on the said'needles, separate jacks displaceable vertically independently of the thread guides, interposed between said thread guides and their operating cam, said jacks being arranged to be moved radially by'the said cam and to impart the radial movements to the guides, jacquard mechanism functioninglselectively to raise said acks from an inoperative. position to a position wherein same act upon and selectthe guides toibe radially displaced by the camiand. positive means for lowering the jacks to the inoperative position after having been raised by said jacquard. r.

9. In a circular'knittingmachine, a series their operating cam, saidvjacksj being arranged to be moved radially by the said cam and to impart the radial movements to the guides, a plurality of jacquard 7 devices, means for successively operating said j ac= quards, each jacquard being connected to and functioning selectively to displaceneedles of a series or group ofguides. so as to enable selected guid'esto be radially displacedlby the rotary cam, and means whereby the displaced jacks of a group arereturned to their normal position after displacement and while the jacks of another groupare being selected.

. c 10. In a circular knitting machine,.aseries of depending threadguides, a rotary cam de vice operating to displace said thread guides radially of the needle circleto lay threads on the'said needles, separate jacks displaceable vertically independently. of the thread guides, interposed between said thread guides and their operating-cam, said j acksbeing arranged-to be moved radially by the said cam and to impart the radial movements .tothe guides, a plurality of j acquard devices, means for; successively operatingsaid jacquards,

each jacquard being connected to and functioning selectively to displace selected jacks of aseparate series or grouplof' jacks appertainmg to a separate series or group of guides thread guides, a rotary cam operating within said row of guides, a circular row of vertically displaceable jacks located between said cam and guides and arranged to be displaced radially to impart the radial displacement to the guides, a plurality of jacquard devices 4 operating to raise selected jacks from an inoperative position to a position wherein the same function to transmit outward radial movements from the rotary cam to guides selected by said jacks, each acquard operating upon a group of jacks forming a sectiononly of the complete circular row of 'acks a cam device functionin to o erate 7 7 the jacquards in succession, and means for lowering the raised jacks to a neutral position prior to each operation thereon by the j acquard's.

12. In a circular knitting machine, a circular row of radially displaceable depending thread guides, a rotary cam operating within said row of guides, a circular row of vertically displaceable jacks located between said cam and guides and arranged to be displaced radially to impart the radial displacement to the guides, a plurality of jacquard devices operating to raise selected acks from an inoperative position to a position wherein the same function to transmit outward radial movements from the rotary cam to guides selected by said jacks, each jacquard operating upon a group of jacks forming a section only of the complete circular row of jacks, means functioning to operate the j acquards in succession, butts carried by said jacks, a vertically slidable ring formed in a i plurality ofpart-circular sections, each ring section being associated with an independent group of jacks and coacting with the butts of said jacks, upstanding vertically movable members connected to said ring sections, cam

pieces carried by said upstanding members, a rotary member functioning during rotation to coact with said cam pieces in succession and successively depress'each ring section so as to lower to an inoperative position jacks previously raised by the jacquards, and

' rotary cam.

spring means operating to lift thering sections after each depression thereof, and means for moving across theneedles those guides which are radially displaced by the FRED ATTENBOROUGH. 

